Health
Slayers, as well as anything else that can be attacked (monsters, for example), have Health. Obviously enough, this goes down as they get hit. But does it go up? If so, how? This page explores a few possibilities. Option 1: No getting health back at all The simplest solution to the problem is to not have health come back at all. This implies a number of things: * Lost health at any point of the game is permanently lost, making even the tutorial (if any) dangerous. This is offset by the player's ability to hire new Slayers (with full health gauges). * Would theoretically make every fight hit-and-run; melee weapons would need to be really powerful (both offensively and defensively) in order for them to be viable at all. * Generally not a very good idea since we want players to be at least a little bit attached to the Slayers and wanting them to not die, rather than having a bunch of them die on a boss just to lower its HP a bit. Option 1.1: No, but between stages Simply refilling the Slayers' HP between missions (or having it partially regenerate) is more elegant (and probably easier on the code as well) as it allows players to become more attached to their Slayers, and is likely to be the expected health behaviour (I expect my dudes to take a relaxing bath after violently chopping off a demon's nipples). Advantages: * Partially prevents long, drawn-out battles as neither the player nor any enemies get health back after losing it, getting to the conclusion of the fight sooner (victory or defeat). The player can still theoretically think of tactics to prevent enemies from getting to them and plinking away at their health slowly, but this should not be an issue. * Simpler on the code; the game doesn't need to track HP between missions, meaning inherently less bugs. * Simpler on the player; the player doesn't need to keep track of their HP between missions, meaning less complexity and frustration. * Adding a "HP regeneration" trait, ability or weapon type becomes possible. Disadvantages: * Encourages more careful play, to prevent frustration through getting a lot of damage without a means to recoup it. Option 2: Some items and traits regenerate health over time Allowing the player to refill their health with a trait (on a character or a weapon) could work, although how to his would work specifically is up in the air. For example, a 1hp/s regeneration might be overpowered, but also encourages both carelessly charging into enemies, as well as sucking on one's thumb every time they get hit. Could be balanced with a lower overall health. Advantages: * Lets the player partially decide on the pacing (moreso than without regenerating HP). * Adventurous players don't get punished too hard for trying things out. Disadvantages: * Encourages caring less about getting hit, as the player gets his health back without spending anything Option 3: Usable items (health potions) Finding and buying health potions to restock a Slayer's health - simple, yet elegant. Advantages: * Players have more incentive to balance risk vs. reward, as it costs them something (money) to regain health. * Eventually the supply will run out, meaning the conclusion of the fight is theoretically reached sooner. Disadvantages: * How does the in-fight item system work? Option 4: Partially regenerating health, with items (like Monster Hunter) Monster Hunter has a nice health system: Say you have 100 HP, and you get hit for 10 HP. You are now at 90 HP, but you will regenerate up to 95 (half of what you were hit for). This is supplemented by healing items to heal both values back up to maximum. Advantages: * Mix of spending money to heal and not punishing players too hard for getting hit. Disadvantages: * Facilitates longer battles, which doesn't really suit SBM's fast-paced gameplay.